Damian Hinds is the shadow education secretary, having previously been on the front bench in government as both education secretary and schools minister.

Mr Hinds kept his East Hampshire seat in last week’s general election, and has now been appointed to the Conservatives’ shadow cabinet.

The previous education secretary Gillian Keegan lost her Chichester seat in the Conservatives’ election defeat.

Mr Hinds was in the Department of Education with Ms Keegan as schools minister from November 2023 to May 2024 under prime minister Rishi Sunak, following a spell at the Ministry of Justice.

He had previously been education secretary for just over 18 months after being appointed in January 2018 by Theresa May, the then prime minister.

Hinds was replaced as education secretary in July 2019 by Gavin Williamson in a reshuffle instigated by Boris Johnson - and said on stepping down that it was “the greatest privilege to serve as education secretary”.

So who is Damian Hinds? And why would the government be keen for him to return to the post of education secretary?

Damian Hinds: education secretary, 2018-19

Hinds attended St Ambrose College, a grammar school in Altrincham, Cheshire, before completing a degree in politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University.

On graduating, his website explains, he spent 18 years working in the pubs, brewing and hotel industries, both in Britain and abroad, before entering politics.

Hinds was elected Conservative MP for East Hampshire in May 2010 and soon entered the world of education by being appointed to the Commons Education Select Committee - a position he held for two years. 

He also chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility and oversaw the publication of a report entitled 7 Key Truths About Social Mobility, which cited, among other things, the importance of quality teachers and teaching and said that “social/emotional ‘skills’ can help underpin academic success - and can be taught”.

What he achieved in office

After being appointed education secretary in 2018, he oversaw some notable policy changes, such as scrapping floor and coasting targets, and launching a strategy to focus on tackling teacher recruitment and retention - something that, over time, led to the creation of the Early Career Framework. This achievement was praised at the time by sector voices such as Leora Cruddas, CEO of the Confederation of School Trusts.

While at the helm of the DfE, it was generally felt that he had taken a light-touch approach, something appreciated by many because it meant that the sector was not burdened with yet more new systems and policies to follow.

During his time in office, he also launched the DfE’s edtech strategy, something that he said would help the education sector to “take advantage of all of the opportunities available through edtech”.

While he was education secretary, Hinds’ failure to secure more funding for schools was criticised by union leaders at the time - including Geoff Barton, who was then general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, and Kevin Courtney, who was then a joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union.

“While efforts may have increased, Damian Hinds has ultimately failed to win the case in government for restoring education funding to pre-cuts levels, leaving schools and the wider sector struggling to provide learners with the educational opportunities they should expect,” Courtney said at the time.

Mr Hinds took on the schools brief in November last year after former minister Nick Gibb resigned. He oversaw the Department for Education’s rollout of a toolkit to help schools spot pupil absence trends. During his time as schools minister, the DfE also expanded its attendance hubs.

Clearly, then, there is past ministerial experience in education that Hinds can draw on in his new post. And his knowledge of the DfE and sector contacts may mean he has less of a “cold start” than a minister brand new to the department.

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